TNT analyst Charles Barkley talks about Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as the Warriors suffered a brutal 134-105 loss to the Suns
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The Golden State Warriors lost their second game of the season last night. With this loss, they’ve moved to a 2-2 record to kick off the 2022-23 season. The Dubs were in Phoenix for their first road game of the season, which ended in a 134-105 bashing.
Klay Thompson received his first-ever ejection as he got into trouble with Devin Booker and the Suns’ bench. Before he was ejected, Klay was struggling from the field, having scored 2 points on 1/8 shooting from the field.
Also Read: Why was Klay Thompson ejected? What led to Warriors’ star’s first ever Career Ejection?
This marked the third straight game where the Warriors allowed their opponents to score 70 or more points in the first half.
Charles Barkley talked about the same on Inside the NBA.
Charles Barkley discusses Klay Thompson
From 2015 to 2019, Klay Thompson earned 5x All-Star selections thanks to his prowess as one of the best two-way guards in the league. However, since his back-to-back career-altering injuries, Klay hasn’t been able to return to the same level.
He struggled from the field tonight, and his frustration got the better of him, as he received his first-ever ejection in his 759-game career. Charles Barkley spoke about the same.
Chuck said,
“As much as I love Klay, he’s slipping. Same thing with Draymond. They’re not the same. In the Finals, you can see they’re not the same guys they were two or three years ago. So when I watch the Warriors play, I say ‘oh man, Father Time is knocking on the door of a couple of those guys.'”
Chuck carried on, and talked about how winning those four championships essentially meant playing two or three extra seasons. They take a heavy toll on the body, and Klay also had two major surgeries. He then recalled Klay was the best two-way guard in the league, and he’s not the same anymore, which could have been a reason behind his frustration.
Chuck then went on to talk about Draymond.
Charles Barkley feels Draymond Green is slowing down
The Warriors’ defense is lacking so far this season. It could be because of Mike Brown’s departure, or it could be Draymond Green not setting the tone like he used to. Either way, Chuck spoke about the same and said,
“I think the same thing with Draymond, he’s slowing down, we just saw in the Finals. Because his game is dictated on energy and once you get past 30, you start losing — especially if you play deep in the playoffs every year — that’s why I said Steph [Curry] got a lot more work to do now, those young guys really are going to have to step up or this team is not going to win the championship if those young guys don’t start carrying the team.”
While Chuck makes valid points, I believe this is just early-season rust for Draymond and Klay. Both of them were absent from the preseason games, and it might take them a while, but they’ll show up to the party when it matters the most.
